My position was, "how the hell do you ever find anything," and his position of course was, "whatever drawer I open has everything I need."

This definitely makes me feel better about my own drawer organization. I don't match or fold my socks. I buy all the same kind - ankle socks with ribbing at the ankles. There are some that are all white and some that have the grey toes and heels. I try to grab out the same kind when I'm getting dressed, but if I'm going to have my shoes on in the outside world, it's only the cats and Daniel who would ever see the mismatch. Can you tell I work at a job where jeans and a t-shirt are standard dress? The only reason I fold my undies is because there would not be room enough for both them and the socks.

But it makes me happy, in an odd way, to know that even if I can't afford it, I would be welcome with open arms at any time to actually do it.

I love thinking about that, too. Also love the idea that if I ever take the notion to move to another part of the country, I probably already have friends there.

Ideally, I'd like to bring him home for the weekend with the caveat that I would take him back if things didn't work out. I assume I'd have to pay the adoption fee upfront, but I'd love to know that I'd get it back if I took him back.

I hate to be all dodgy, but this is a huge commitment and I need to know that my lifestyle will work for the dog. The last potential would have been miserable here.

One would hope that the foster people would be happy to negotiate about that because it will make the best possible decision for the dog more likely. If they have a lick of sense, they would be more afraid of a bad permanent placement - because the dog may end up getting rehomed yet again, or if the bond between the dog and his human is not a close one communication can be tricky (I'm thinking of someone missing subtle signs of illness because they just don't really "get" the dog). Now that I've had a chance to read the whole thread, I almost feel like I'm beating a dead horse. But please know that I'm waving my pom-poms like mad for you to get settled with the best possible match. When I lost Pachisi, my heart died. Then Harvey was born, and it took a long time for me to have enough to love him wholeheartedly, but he seems to think the wait was worth it. May your next dog bond with you in a very special way, different from the bond you between you and Bartleby.

Fingers crossed that a) she is actually a nice quiet lady and b) she signs the lease, if so.

Tenant~ma for you, Nora.

Now, go and take comfort in Fluffy or something.

Dunno why that seems so hilarious to me right now. huh. Sleep deprivation, maybe? Anyway, omnis, I hope today is a better day.

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What Andi said. Any reputable group will welcome a foster-to-adopt or similar arrangement, especially if it involves the dog going to an environment that is not the same as his current foster. I'm sure they won't have an issue.

It's just so BIG. I know that I'll never feel the same again. Bartleby took that huge chunk of my heart with him...and I'm okay with that. But I do make a comMITment when I commit.

Oh man, this. When I first got Darby, I think my biggest concern was that I wasn't going to be able to properly separate, to judge her on her own merits. (Not helped by the fact that Darby is practically a Mini-Me of Lu.)

It kind of blows my mind how utterly, fundamentally different Lucy and Darby are, and how different my relationship is. And I adore her in a totally dissimilar way, but not one that can be boiled down to better/worse more/less.

(Craig, on the other hand, my friend's boxer/basset, is Lucy reincarnated. We're dog sitting next month and I'm a little askeered. I'm not used to that crazy energetic dog life anymore! Darby's just so chill.)

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Oh, I know what I wanted to say for myself: Last week the doc suggested that I think about not taking my Concerta on days I don't have to work. I had been giving myself a med holiday one day out of every couple weeks to reduce one of the side effects, but I think I'll try a longer med holiday since I'm taking a few days off. And it will be interesting to see what my energy level is like with the thyroid medication but without the methyphenidate.

And wackiness at work. One of the individuals I care for apparently has a Do Not Resuscitate order. I have zero memory of ever having laid eyes on it. I have zero memory of any mention of it before two days ago, when one of the part-time staff members asked me if I knew about it. TPTB do not have it posted. It should be on the person's bedroom door, and above the bed. This is extremely not cool. I made a cursory search through some of the person's file and did not find it. I WILL NOT refrain from performing CPR on the authority of "somebody said". And this person's health is deteriorating at an alarming rate.

So I mentioned this issue to a supervisor on Monday. Her response was, "Do we really need to post it? I mean, if everybody knows..."

I said, "Two things. One, everybody doesn't KNOW. I cannot memorize the details of the SIXTEEN people I care for in such a way as to KNOW that. And I am not going to spend 45 minutes searching their files for documents that may or may not be there, before beginning chest compressions. Second, here is what happens when the person's heart stops. We call 911, the EMTs get here to find us standing around, we tell them there is a DNR but they do not take our word for it if they can't see it. And they bloody well won't stand around for 45 minutes while we search the files. They will simply start CPR."

"Oh, I guess I better check into that."

No, really?

Mostly I like and respect this supervisor, but ... has she met people?

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bonny, Pork Chop looks beautiful.

Our shelter (Friends of Homeless Animals) allows Foster with Intent to Adopt, which sounds like what you're looking for. With no hard feelings if it doesn't work out. We aren't happy when an FIA fails -- we really like to see our animals get their forever homes. But better for an FIA to be returned within a week or two than for the animal to get settled in and then returned a year later.

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WindSparrow, your supervisor's nonchalance is disconcerting, to say the least.

I may have talked StW into a productivity reward system based on booty. We'll see if we get to test it out tonight. I'm highly motivated, anyway.

I asked a friend if I could do laundry at her house, and I think she's going to come pick it up on her scooter and do it for me. How the hell do I pay *that* back?

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How the hell do I pay *that* back?

What does she need/appreciate that you can make/do? Bake her cookies/banana bread/homemade granola? Walk her dog/train her dragon/bellydance in her living room?

(I'm currently trying to barter with a friend who just harvested 4 frames of backyard honey -- I told him if he gave me honey, I'd make granola for him with his honey. I'm willing to pay for it, too, but sometimes barter is better than $$ if someone needs/wants something.)

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Will have to ponder... I think she's vegetarian but not vegan. I'm scared to walk her dog, he's over 100 lbs and a handful.

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Unrelatedly, I have been fighting a headache since Sunday night -- it keeps receding and coming back. Never felt like a migraine until this morning, when I got nausea and photophobia. The weird part is that I'm not having the same pain pattern my migraines usually have.

Anyway, I'm trying to edit at home, but even the light from the laptop screen (which, yes, I realize I'm using to post this) is bothering me. I've moved on from tylenol to migraine meds (mine is just Fioricet, which is a very old drug and works 75% of the time for me) and now to a quarter of a percocet.

What I've got big time is painful knotted muscles in my neck and shoulders. But it's a chicken and egg thing -- I can't remember if the muscle pain came first or the headache came first.

And finally, just for full disclosure, I'm pretty sure I brought this on myself by eating too much gluten. The cause-and-effect dealie is kind of amazing to watch. Until the effect whammies me.

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So I mentioned this issue to a supervisor on Monday. Her response was, "Do we really need to post it? I mean, if everybody knows..."

the fuck what? Isn't that, like, THE LAW?

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Thanks so much for your Pork Chop thoughts, everyone.

I wrote to the foster without mentioning the fee and she said that I can definitely take him for a trial period over the weekend. And, that there are two other families looking at him, but she won't contact them until after I've had my turn. That is a huge relief.

I guess I was concerned about the trial period because I'm transporting him over several state lines. This foster does not generally allow out-of-state placements, so they are doing this because it's me and I don't want to take advantage of that latitude.

At any rate, one of my besties is coming with me (hopefully) which will make the trip even more fun and less stressful.

I think my biggest concern was that I wasn't going to be able to properly separate, to judge her on her own merits.

Brenda, I've already resigned myself to this happening...a lot. I think I could wait ten years and still have the comparison issue. Fortunately, I'm aware of it, so perhaps I can be fair in the overall scheme of things even if I am not in individual moments.

You also bring up something that hadn't occurred to me. Another friend asked if it won't be too painful for people to think the new guy is Bartleby. She thinks they look so much alike that it will be a problem.

I know the conformation is similar, but I can't see Bartleby in him at all. Different contrast color, more balanced conformation (PC's legs are equal in length, Bartleby's back legs were longer, so he always ran in a diagonal since his back legs overtook the front) and the eyes are completely different. Bartleby's ears stuck straight out, etc.

Still, I think she has a point and I'll have to come up with a little elevator speech to deal with that eventuality.

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